Roaring Tales - Short Story Collection
by Indigo Siren
Summary: A repost of a number of one-shots (originally posted here over a decade ago), all romantic stories with a few different pairings. (Kenji x Uriko, Yugo x Alice, Gado x Jenny, Long x Shina, Xion x Uranus)
1. Glimpses of Their Lives

Roaring Tales – Short Story Collection

By. Indigo Siren

 _ **Disclaimer: Bloody Roar © copyright to Konami (Hudson Soft). The use of characters from the franchise is for non-profit entertainment purposes. The only elements that are owned by the author are the story premises, which should not be copied in any way. All rights reserved.**_

 _A/N (1): The following one shot short stories were originally posted on here during 2003 to 2007, though were removed as part of a cleanup operation I undertook to focus more on my multi-chapter stories. Given that these have just been sitting around in a folder ever since, it seemed such a waste to leave them to gather dust, so I decided to do some alterations (though not too much!) and correct any errors in them to put back up for your reading pleasure. (I might have missed some errors, though hopefully it will be a vast improvement on how they were before!)  
_

 _All stories are romance related (though unrelated to each other) and the following pairings are used: Yugo x Alice, Gado x Jenny, Kenji x Uriko, Long x Shina & Xion x Uranus. Not all these pairings are ones I support these days, but that doesn't matter! They are good memories of a time when I involved myself heavily in writing Bloody Roar stories. Hopefully, you will enjoy them!_

 _A/N (2): 'Glimpses of their Lives' is four separate mini scenes covering numerous pairings. It's all pretty much what it says in the title._

Glimpses of their Lives

Moonlight spilled in a soft line from a crack between the curtains and onto a bed where a slumbering woman lay. The flickering of the light coaxed the beautiful, pale woman to stir from her sleep. Blue eyes slowly opened to look up towards the curtain, swaying slightly with the gentle breeze from the open French doors.

Jenny Burtory sighed softly, turning away from the glowing moonlight that had such disturbed her peaceful rest, and instead came to look upon the form that lay beside her, who was entangled in silken sheets, fast asleep.

At first glance, those who didn't know the pair would have been shocked into disbelief that such a couple might actually be together. Alan Gado, a veteran mercenary, appeared to be many years her senior, but in truth, Jenny should have been of the same generation, maybe even slightly older. But because of harsh experiments long ago, she never had to worry about ageing again.

After a wonderful night of making love, sharing the passion they both felt for one and other, she hated to let her mind wander to things such as her agelessness. She sometimes felt envy for him being allowed to gracefully grow old, while she was trapped to watch as an eternal bystander.

She reached out and brushed aside a few of the white gold locks that splayed onto the side of his face, now resting limp instead of gelled back into their usual spikes. She couldn't help but smile as he shifted slightly, brushing against her side unknowingly

Love was truly ageless, like her. Never in her life would she want to let him go, even with such uncertainty around her situation.

Left restless on this train of thought, Jenny rose from the bed, careful not to disturb her sleeping lover. Naked milky flesh was illuminated as she stepped into the wake of the moon's gleam. Reaching for a light robe, she stepped out onto the balcony to embrace the cool night air, moving to lean on the cold iron rail as she looked up at the starry sky.

'Bats are nocturnal creatures…' Her mind whispered. 'The night welcomes you gracefully.'

For once in her life, she actually felt happy for the person she was. With her new-found friends and her supportive beau, she'd broken away from the hatred of her being that had become so deep rooted in her heart. She'd never let anyone know how bitter she'd been, alone in the darkness, only out to serve her own needs. But now, like the starry sky, her friends had lit up the cold darkness with a brightness she wished to bask in and cherish unreservedly.

Her destiny, from here to eternity, wouldn't be so hard to endure after all.

There was a rustling from the curtain behind her and the bat Zoanthrope turned. Her lover had been awoken, alone without her resting at his side.

"Are you alright?" Gado's deep voiced inquired warmly.

She nodded and slowly stepped toward him, noticing that he was actually completely bare before her and quickly covered him with a hug, her blonde locks tickling against his chest, enough to draw a sound of pleasure that rumbled against her cheek.

His rough hand, usually used so brusquely in battle, ran over her hair with surprising tenderness. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"No," she whispered with assurance, looking up at him with a soft smile. "These thoughts of mine are nothing to worry over. What I'd rather do now is climb back into our warm bed, before it gets too cold..."

He decided not to pry further. Jenny was one of the strongest women he knew, and if she had something to tell him, she would. Taking her hands carefully between his own, he led her back into the warmer confines of the room.

Sighing happily, she used her foot to carefully shut the French door behind her.

* * *

"Kenji?"

The young man smiled at the sweet, whining voice behind him, though his eyes stayed firmly locked on the textbook in front of him.

"What?" He matched the tone that his girlfriend had used.

Uriko Nonomura pouted. "When are you going to put that book down?"

"As soon as I've finished this chapter," he said, turning another page of the thick science textbook.

The pair was lounging around on Uriko's bed, revision books spread around them in disorder. It was preparation for a test the next day. Kenji lay on his front, legs crossed up behind him with the book rested in front of him at the end of the bed. Uriko was nestled in a barrage of pillows at the head of the bed, tossing another book aside.

She whined even louder. "But it's so long! You'll be ages!"

"Well, we are supposed to be revising," he informed her matter-of-factly.

"My brain hurts!" She grumbled, folding her arms. "And we've been doing it all evening!"

"A little longer won't hurt you... If you want to pass that is..." He said, partially engrossed in the text in front of him. There were no worries about him about scoring high on the test, though for Uriko however...

The cat Zoanthrope huffed, glaring at the complicated texts laying before her in all their intimidating glory. Though, seconds later, all thoughts of revision were washed away as a cheeky smile cross her lips as a thought crossed her mind.

Kenji was reading the text to himself, the words muttering under his breath, not expecting to have his companion pounce onto his back suddenly. He yelped, distracted just long enough for Uriko to make a grab for his textbook, snatching it away.

She hopped back, tongue out at him as he sat up, giving her a bemused glance.

"Come on, Uriko," he said, hand out. "Give the book back."

"Nope," she said sweetly, "no more books for tonight!"

"Seriously, Uriko…"

"Nuh-uh! You're not getting it back!" She teased playfully, waving the book in front of him. Even for his fast reflexes, she was one step ahead of him, whipping the book away from his grasp and behind her back for safe keeping.

Caught in a stalemate, with her dodging every snap attempt at getting the book back, he came up with a cunning idea. Kenji lunged once more in what he made to seem like a frontal assault, to which she backed up in response, keeping the book rightly behind her and out of his reach. But she was fully unprepared for him to press up against her with a firm kiss.

Parting seconds later, she blinked drunkenly, hardly reacting as he took the book out of her hands. He smiled with triumph, but as he looked between the scholarly text and his flushed girlfriend, the victory just seemed rather dull. He placed the book aside, and brought her lithe frame against his own for an affectionate hugs, their faces bare inches apart.

The rosy glow in her cheeks brightened tenfold. "You've had... a change of heart?" She asked, a shudder underlining her words.

"I think you were right when you said no more books tonight," he responded in a whisper. The gap closed between lips, as they shared in the warmth of a long, loving kiss.

Tossing the books aside that littered the bed, he laid her back onto the covers. The sound of forgotten books thudding against carpet accompanied the cacophony of kisses and chuckles between the pair.

"Don't tire me out too much," she said breathlessly, a slight smirk poised on her lips. "We've got a test tomorrow."

His fingers tugged on the zip of her lightweight jacket, slowly pulling it downwards. "You know, I can't make any promises..."

* * *

Shina tiredly dragged herself towards the bathroom. Just another day of excruciating chores that she particularly didn't want to do; and trying to work off the stress, she'd overdone it lifting weights in her own personalised gym. The twinge in her muscles was an ever present reminder that she needed to lessen up on her work out regime.

"Oh well, no big deal," she muttered, pushing open the door into the ivory-tiled bathroom. Dropping her sweaty clothes into the laundry hamper and resting her clean sleepwear on top of the closed lid of the toilet, she clambered into the nice, hot shower that awaited her. She adjusted the temperature on the faucet to just the way she liked it and grabbed the soap from the rack.

It was then that she noticed through the steaming glass of the cubicle that she'd not brought her t-shirt with the pile.

 _Probably left it on the bed,_ she thought, sighing heavily. Hesitating, she glanced towards the door. _Well, I am alone, so it won't matter if I just make a rush grab for it without having to get dressed again..._

Her beau, Long Shin, wasn't back yet from teaching his rowdy group of Kenpo students. It wouldn't be too long before he'd be back, but if she rushed to the bedroom and back, she could just about avoid an awkward situation. Both she and Long were always respectful about each other's privacy, and any nude encounters always ended up in a bashful mess, usually on his part.

They'd only been together a short time but besides sharing a bed, nothing else had ever occurred. There was always this weird, uneasy air about stuff like that they just ended up avoiding such things.

But he wasn't there now to cause a stir, so off she went, sprinting out of the bathroom like a naked, peachy blur towards the bedroom, where low and behold, her T-shirt was laid on the end of the bed. She retrieved it, blowing out a sigh, turning to exit, thinking she was home free.

Just seconds later, the door to the apartment opened and Long stepped inside, getting an eyeful of his lover striding out of the bedroom, completely naked.

They both stared at each other in shock until Long graciously averted his eyes, a blush tinting his cheeks. He cursed himself staring so long to create a perfect mental picture.

Shina used the couch for coverage, t-shirt pressed over her breasts. "Long! Welcome home! I was just going for a shower…" She cleared her throat embarrassed. "Sorry for the peep show."

"It should be me apologising…" He began.

"No, no!" She cut him off. "You weren't to know the minute you walked in you'd see a nudist."

"Yes, well…" He coughed, trying to cover up the awkwardness, shutting the door promptly.

She shifted uncomfortably in her crouched position. "We shouldn't have to act all pre-school about this, you know. We're supposed to be dating…"

He was still looking away, taking in the wall as if his life depended on it. "I guess you're right, but you know…"

"Listen, let's not over-think this. It just makes situations so much more complicated…" He was suddenly surprised that she had actually come up to him, pressing her nude form against him. His eyes sharply met hers with surprise, but hers were loving and calm. For a moment, she pushed aside any wavering thoughts and focused on the most important thing. The man she dearly loved. Intimacy shouldn't be something they shied away from.

"Jane…" His voice was caught between a shiver and uncertainty.

"Come join me in the shower?" She asked, laying a feather soft kiss to his lips.

Long gulped and nodded without hesitation. How could he refuse such an open offer? A part of him stirred with delight.

She smiled and stepped away from him, turning to head back towards the bathroom, for once not feeling so bashful to have his eyes follow her.

Long shook his head, and a small smile graced his lips. Not letting any opposing thoughts stop him, he dropped his luggage and coat aside and headed swiftly after his lover.

* * *

 _I've never known him to be so romantic..._

Alice Nonomura opened her eyes to stare at the flickering orange flames of the line of candles displayed down the side of the bathtub.

What better way to make up after an argument than to be pampered by her lover – rose petals on the water surface, scented candles liberating sandalwood perfume into the room and to top it all off, crystalline glasses of red wine. It was a surprise to her that he even liked wine. Maybe he didn't, maybe it was just for her.

Alice had meaninglessly fought with her lover, Yugo Ogami, tempers flaring over such miniscule things. Dinner, chores, who'd get the car… just anything that was worth a fight over was brought up that morning and Alice had stormed off to work at the hospital in a foul mood. But surprisingly, when she got home, the dark cloud over her head had shattered when she'd seen what he'd done for her as an apology.

Alice snuggled back against her lover, prompting for him to tighten his arms around her waist. He placed a kiss on her shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of her neck with a sensual groan. The rabbit Zoanthrope quivered with delight.

"You spoil me, you know that?" She murmured gratefully, reaching for her glass of wine. The sparkling, intoxicating drink seemed to entice her senses even more.

His cheek came up to rest to hers. "Don't you believe you deserve it?"

She didn't answer, instead just giggled, cheeks flushed. She sipped the wine and placed the glass back on the side.

"You always seem to surprise me, even when I think I've seen it all…"

He grinned. "Oh, I can assure you, the surprises will keep on coming."

She craned her neck to look at him, eyes lit with intrigue. "Oh?"

He coaxed her to turn around in his arms; faces close enough for their warm breaths to intermingle. "You'll see."

She thought she would drown in his loving kiss, the embrace more intoxicating then the wine. The exotic sensation made her skin glow with love-induced warmth, sending tingles flowing down her spine.

Yes, she could be assured that tonight would be an interesting one indeed...


	2. Quite Taken

_Roaring Tales – Short Story Collection_

By. Indigo Siren

 _ **Disclaimer: Bloody Roar © copyright to Konami (Hudson Soft). The use of characters from the franchise is for non-profit entertainment purposes. The only elements that are owned by the author are the story premises, which should not be copied in any way. All rights reserved.**_

 _A/N: 'Quite Taken' (Kenji x Uriko) – Was a gift story for a fan of this pairing._

Quite Taken

Infatuation, intrigue, admiration… They were words that didn't even get close to describing how she felt about him.

Uriko Nonomura couldn't even put words together when she thought of Kenji.

Kenji Ogami. The most handsome, mysterious boy she'd ever come to know.

At first, it has begun as a strong friendship as he truly began to fit in with his peers and enjoy the world around him, one that he'd never really connected with before. She'd been there as his support, being the friend he needed so dearly.

But then it all changed. The way she saw him had been completely turned upside down, inside out – but not in a bad way at all.

Every time she rode on the back of his bike, every time he waited for her after classes, every time they spoke on the phone together, she'd felt that warm, tingly feeling her sister Alice had talked about so much.

Love...

She couldn't exactly openly talk about it. For one thing she was embarrassed, and another thing, her mother, Alice, and maybe even Yugo would be on her back in an instant. Anytime she'd mentioned love in the past, there were always lectures about her being too young, and that she had her whole life to think about boyfriends and such, and that these were the years to focus on understanding herself.

 _That's so stupid!_ She thought indignantly. _You can't stop love, no matter how old you are! I'm nearly fifteen for crying out loud!_

And now, she was becoming more and more desperate to tell Kenji, but couldn't help but feel so awkward. She knew she'd been acting strangely in front of him recently, and she was worried that he was taking it as she didn't want to hang around with him anymore. They'd had so many difficult and busy years that had really tested their friendship, and now she wanted to see if after surviving through blood, violence and school quizzes, if they could become anything more.

Uriko was resolved. She was going to tell him.

It was a perfect Friday evening, and she'd lied to her ever-doting mother, saying she'd be out late studying at friend's house, but instead, the minute she'd stepped outside, she'd bolted like lightning to the nearest phone booth and called Kenji. Thankfully it was him to answer and not Yugo. She'd been brief and told him to meet her at the sea front, near the ice cream shack. There were no questions asked , she wouldn't let him enquire too much and left him with no choice as she hung up, running all the way to the meeting place at a break-neck speed.

When she arrived, the sun was already setting, a nice orange and red glow off in the distance, the colour a light glimmer on the ocean surface. The cat Zoanthrope sat on the long, stone wall overlooking the front, dangling her legs over the side, peering down at the long drop to the sands and rocks below.

 _Wouldn't want to fall down..._ She shuddered involuntarily, but gave a snort of laughter straight afterwards. There was no way in hell she was going to ruin this chance to admit her feelings to Kenji. Though, if all went terribly wrong, she could easily throw herself down onto the rocks.

She hummed to herself, trying to clear her head of any nervous thoughts. Instead, she thought about how cold it was starting to get, though she didn't really feel it too much in her long blue jacket and matching bottoms. She was usually into shorts, but the weather was too cold for them now.

 _I wonder if he'll come?_ She thought, idly rubbing the back of her head. _I don't think he'd NOT come if he knows I'm waiting here._ She brushed back her short crop of hair, fawning slightly. _I knew I shouldn't have had my braid cut off._ She missed playing with it quite a lot, particularly when she was nervous. _Maybe I'll just grow it back! I wonder if Kenji liked my braid? OH! What does it matter if he did or didn't like my braid?! Does he actually like me more than a friend?_

She wished she'd had longer to calm down; to stop making herself feel worse. But her sharp hearing picked up the sound of squeaking bike brakes and she snapped around to see the former ninja assassin, stepping off the apparatus and onto the curb, walking it up to where she was sat. She gave him a warm smile in greeting.

"Hi Kenji, I'm glad you came," she said.

The mole Zoanthrope looked a little worried, but the smile made him relax somewhat. "You wanted to see me? Is something wrong?"

"No, no!" She assured, having noticed his uncertain expression. She had to keep smiling, despite how weird she suddenly felt around him. "Come and sit with me!" She patted the wall next to her.

He lithely hopped up to seat himself next to her as asked. Uriko felt her insides turn to jelly. Her Kenji, well she hoped, was his average self. So simple in his T-shirt and jeans, but to her, he made anything so plain look so wonderful. She had to hold back a sigh of content, not to sound stupid or anything in front of him.

There was silence at first, the boy expecting her to talk first. Unfortunately for her, everything she wanted to say was caught in a lump at the back of her throat.

 _Great! What a time to get cold feet!_ She cursed herself inwardly.

"Uriko, are you alright?" Kenji inquired, quite worried how the usually bubbly girl had become so quiet. She nodded quite rapidly, putting on one of her big, goofy smiles to best to show everything was okay. Though, she felt kind of silly now. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Clearing her throat, she decided to just get on with it and not complicate the situation with stupid silences and pointless smiles.

"I wanted to tell you something," she admitted, fidgeting. "Something I wanted to tell you in person."

"Okay…" He answered, leaning back, looking at her in anticipation.

She gulped, finding that she could only look at the sunset as it dipped behind the ocean, rather than looking at his handsome face. "You know, we've been friends for ages. I can trust you with so much and I know I can always depend on you…"

"That's what friends are for," he said, smiling. She looked to him as he answered, almost falling off the wall in a giddy at his smile. A silly thing, but love made her feel lightheaded and even more of a klutz.

"Well… these things… they've made me think," she continued, wondering how she could express her feelings without too much embarrassment. She went back to not looking at him to steady her nerves. "And… I really need to tell you…"

"Tell me what?"

"I… well…" She had to clear her throat again. "Kenji, I… I…"

"Uriko?" Kenji urged with wonder. This wasn't like her at all.

Her fingers dug into the wall and she squeezed her eyes shut. "I LIKE YOU!"

There was a pause, only a short one after her quick outburst, before he spoke. "We're good friends, I know you like…"

"No, no, I don't think you understand," she said quickly. "I mean I LIKE you. REALLY LIKE you. Umm, well… I guess I could really say I… I love you…"

Kenji was stunned into silence, staring at her intently. Uriko turned to look at him, her stomach twisting in knots as she held his gaze, searching her eyes. She suddenly felt compelled to explain herself.

"I… I know it's weird, since we've been good friend and all, and that I suddenly have feelings for you. I don't know how long I've had them. It seems like forever when you're around. You're so nice to me and you treat me with respect, and you never make me feel small like most of the boys in our school. You always make me feel so warm when you speak. You really do have a nice voice you know. And I think you're really cute too! Your eyes, you hair; I really like your hair! It always looks so soft, and I keep getting the urge to touch it! I just like everything about you… I… I…" She stopped her babbling when she saw the gobsmacked looked on his face. She felt really embarrassed now, getting a sudden sinking feeling. "Oh! Why am I saying this out loud?! I'm sorry, Kenji. I've probably made you feel all weird about me now! I'm so stupid!"

He didn't even respond, just staring at her, blinking in surprise. Uriko cringed and pivoted in her seat to stand back on the walkway.

"I'm so sorry I brought you out here. I feel so silly now. You probably hate me now for ruining our friendship forever! I'll go… I'm so sorry…" She was stopped from leaving as he quickly took her arm by surprise.

"Uriko, stop! Slow down! In fact, sit down!"

She promptly sat back on the wall, staring at him in anticipation, heart beating so fast she thought it might explode.

He took a deep breath. "This all seems so weird to me. I'd never have guessed. Well, for a fact that I've never really been in love with anyone before, so I don't know anything about feelings. It's so surprising… I mean, why? I'm really confused why you're telling me this now."

She looked down, trying not to feel sad. In the distance, she could feel a premonition of rejection. "Because, if I didn't tell you, I thought it would eat me up inside. I wanted you to know, because I hoped there was something more between us…"

He looked out to the sunset, returning to silence. His face was one of contemplation. Uriko felt uncomfortable in the heavy quiet. It was all out in the open now, and somewhere inside she'd wished she'd not said anything in case he'd not want anything beyond a friendship with her. She was tempted to walk away, but a slight movement revealed she wasn't going to go far…

… He was still holding her arm.

He looked back at her, locking his eyes with hers. She inwardly jumped, for the first time seeing a strange light in his eyes. It was slightly scary, but in another way it was comforting, even reassuring to her.

"Uriko," his voice was almost a whisper, as if he was afraid of anyone else but her hearing what he had to say. "You were the first true friend I ever had. You're the one who introduced me to all the amazing things in life. You've done as much for me as Yugo has; you've made my life worth living. You helped me understand emotions." He was getting closer to her, bodies and faces only inches apart. "And all these wonderful things you've said about me, they've stirred something inside... made me feel wonderful to be in your presence. To know that besides everything that has happened, that you can stand to be around me, and that you're not physically repulsed by looking at me."

"Repulsed?" Uriko shook her head resolutely. "I'd never be repulsed!"

He smiled warmly in response to her conviction. "You're an angel... my angel, Uriko." And the distance was gone, his lips pressing feather soft to hers; quite timid in its gesture, but nice nonetheless.

Uriko was shocked.

 _He's kissing me?! What do I do?! Wait, stupid! Kiss him back! KISS HIM BACK!_

Not even considering another option, she accepted his kiss, bringing her arm around his neck supportively. He released her arm and drew his around her waist. With her other arm free, it joined its companion around his neck.

It was a nice first kiss between them, not too needy or too heavy, just a graceful touch of the lips with both sides revelling within the other's affection.

Parting, they were both blushing brightly. Neither was willing to easily part from their embrace and she decided just to rest her head against his shoulder, a contented sigh parting her lips.

"Thank you," he murmured into her ear.

She looked up at him. "Huh? Why?"

"For loving me," he said. Her cheeks burned as her blushing deepened.

They stayed in this position for some time, enjoying the wonderful comfort it produced. To understand the warm embrace of a lover, to know that they'd be spending many more times like this in the future, they were both satisfied. It was for sure that they both meant their feelings.

"It's getting cold, don't you think?" He asked her. She merely nodded, rather lost for words for once in her entire life. "Do you want to come back to my house for a bit? Yugo's not around. Busy with work."

Her heart fluttered. "Well, uh, yeah! Mother isn't expecting me back for a bit anyway."

"Don't worry, I won't pounce on you," he assured, laying a soft kiss on her cheek and breaking the embrace, taking her hand as she hopped off the wall.

He climbed onto the seat of his bike, holding it still so that Uriko could stand on the back, hands on his shoulders.

"Kenji?"

"Yeah?"

"No worries?"

"I think we have nothing to worry about," he affirmed.

"And about everyone else?" She asked.

He shook his head. "What does it matter? We're not doing anything we're not supposed to."

"Yeah, you're right." She beamed. "Okay, onward driver!"

He chuckled and pushed off, cycling off towards home.

He'd come out expecting something bad, and instead was coming home with a girlfriend. What an intriguing night it had been.


	3. Just make it Better

Roaring Tales – Short Story Collection

By. Indigo Siren

 _ **Disclaimer: Bloody Roar © copyright to Konami (Hudson Soft). The use of characters from the franchise is for non-profit entertainment purposes. The only elements that are owned by the author are the story premises, which should not be copied in any way. All rights reserved.**_

 _A/N: Another Kenji x Uriko short story!_

Just make it Better

"It's not fair! Life sucks!"

Uriko Nonomura sobbed into her pillow, which was taking the brunt of her upset with tears and distasteful words. Why was the usually bubbly cat-girl so upset? Two words…

Bad day.

It had started straight off from the get go when her alarm clock didn't go off. The batteries had died on her overnight and she was left scrambling with only a few bare minutes to wash, change and run off to school. And when she got there she'd almost torn her skirt on a rusty nail on the school gate. She'd been lucky, but she had to hide the little tear on her hip with a hand or her book bag.

She'd also failed a pop quiz and was kept behind for it to write a small essay on the importance of history, and she even had to write it twice because her teacher had said her first reasoning was 'without feeling'. Then she'd lost her homework for another class and had a detention on Monday for it. Then lunch had come and someone's left over burger had pelted her when a small food fight had broken out. She'd taken that with a pinch of salt, brushed it off, hoping her own chips and burger array would make it all better; nope, not in the least. It was so greasy, enough to give her a sickly feeling.

Her irritability level had reached an all time high and she'd accidentally snapped at her friend, Maeko, with some harsh words when she'd been asked if she'd been okay. And now, Maeko wasn't talking to her, and she spent the rest of her afternoon lessons miserable and bored senseless, wanting to get home and forget about everything over the weekend. The last lesson ran over time as the teacher rambled on, wanting to finish a chapter in an English textbook. She'd expected to get home and feel somewhat better, but she was rushed off her feet to help her mother clean up in time for everyone coming over. It was a W.O.C. get together in celebration of a recent campaign successfully garnering local support for a centre built for Zoanthropes struggling with their 'condition'. It had been both Uriko and Alice's idea, with Mitsuko offering to host the little event at her home.

Now, Uriko liked these kinds of events – any reason to party – and the whole idea had started to calm her down, but when everyone had arrived, she was edgy. She felt she couldn't get into the conversation. And then, there was Yugo. Now, it was common knowledge Yugo Ogami was a joker, and he loved to rib his friends, and usually Uriko could take it in good spirits. He especially liked to tease her, something that she would get into with throwing her own friendly jibes back at him. But today had not been the day for it, and she'd tried to brush him off. But of course, with her not fighting back, he'd just taken the further opportunity to get in a few more digs.

Everyone seemed to join in, probably not really realising her mood, though she knew they were only kidding, no offence meant. But her brain had been throbbing with the stress of the day, hating this sudden ganging up, well, what felt like a gang up. It had been one last comment from Yugo that had sent her over the edge. With a sudden infuriated scream, her first made a nice crunching sound against his nose.

And now there she was, face down on her bed sobbing, letting out all her frustration as her slightly bruised fist pounded the bed. She ignored everything around her, besides the constant throbbing in her head, the anguish that had turned into a headache. She was as miserable as hell.

Outside her door, her sister Alice knocked continuously, trying to get the cat-girl to communicate with her, but to no avail.

"Uriko, come on, open up," she said softly. "Tell me what's wrong? Everyone's worried." She could hear Uriko sobbing, her fist banging against the mattress. Alice's heart ached. "Uriko?"

"Any luck?" came a half-muffled voice.

Alice turned, placing her back to the wall with a sigh. Her boyfriend, the walking wounded, came to stand next to her, clutching a big wad of tissues to his injured nose, which was a bloody mess – Uriko's handy work with her great Zoanthrope strength.

"She won't come out. She won't tell me what's wrong," Alice said, her voice worried, "I just don't understand."

Yugo shrugged his shoulders. "I've got no clue what's up with the kid. I kind of thought she was acting weird, but you know, you just don't ask about these things, in case well…"

Alice narrowed an eye at him. "Don't tell me you think all stressed out situations are to do with 'woman problems'."

"Usually is," he muttered, only to receive a punch in the shoulder for his answer. He flinched. "Oww! Careful! I'm injured."

Alice huffed, folding her arms, facing the opposite wall.

Yugo sighed. "I'm sorry. I know I'm a jerk."

"Too right you are," she said snappily.

"I don't know, I just thought she'd cheer up was all. And this is what I get for trying," he said, indicating his bloody nose.

"You DID go a bit far," Alice pointed out, though she did look sympathetically at his injured nose. Uriko didn't need to lash out like that.

"Well… I guess so," he admitted.

"But how are we suppose to know what she's feeling when she stays quiet." Alice placed a hand on Uriko's door, wishing that she could just phase through the wooden barrier.

"I think we should know by now that when Uriko's quiet, it means trouble."

"Sometimes she does find it hard to get into a conversation with you, me, Gado and the others. And Kenji's not here; she usually latches onto him." She knocked again on her sister's door. "Please, Uriko, tell me what's wrong."

"Just leave me alone," a muffled voice answered.

"It's a start," Yugo said with a shrug.

"Please, Uriko," Alice tried again. "We're worried about you. We want to help."

"I WANT TO BE ALONE!" Uriko shouted back at them.

Alice backed off a step, deciding to relent for now, turning to Yugo, who squeezed her shoulder supportively. The wolf Zoanthrope decided not to say anything; instead, he turned his attention towards Uriko's mother, Mitsuko, who suddenly appeared on the landing.

The elder woman was worried, wringing her hands as a sure sign that the situation was getting to her. She'd been a bit angry at first with Uriko striking Yugo, but this had turned to concern when her daughter clearly showed signs of not being herself. She wanted to know what was bothering her.

"Anything?" Mitsuko asked.

"She wants to be left alone," Alice said. "Probably best to let her get head together without overwhelming her."

Mitsuko sighed. "You could be right. Time alone could do the trick. Maybe then she'll talk to us." She patted Alice's arm softly. "Shall we go back downstairs?"

"I'll go get some more tissues," Yugo said, wandering off towards the bathroom. "I mean, these used to be white…"

Alice and her adoptive mother nodded and they headed downstairs to rejoin the group gathered in the lounge. The small congregation consisted of Alan Gado, Jenny Burtory, Long Shin and Shina. They were talking amongst themselves, a few chuckles here and there. They turned to the two returned.

"How's the kid doing?" Shina asked.

"She wants to be alone," Alice said, slumping into an empty chair.

"It is very concerning," Long said, "I hope she will be alright. I've never witnessed such a display from her before. There must be something on her mind."

"Well, I hope she decides to talk before the night is out," Mitsuko said with a sigh. "It's not going to help her keeping it all bottled up."

"Yeah, but she's refusing to see anyone." Alice buried her tired face between her hands.

Jenny tapped a manicured nail against the edge of her champagne glass. "I'm sure there is someone out she'll be willing to talk to…"

Alice looked up towards the blonde woman, about to ask who when the front door opened.

"Hello?" The soft, masculine voice that followed caused Jenny's smile to widen and all in the room understood who she meant.

"In here Kenji!" Alice called, turning towards the door as the aforementioned came through.

Kenji Ogami was trusted with a lot of odds and ends jobs to assist Yugo in running the W.O.C. He frequently balanced school with his volunteer work with the NGO. He usually ended up roped into things Yugo was less than willing to do, but he rarely complained. He'd been out of town for two days, meeting with a few other representatives of similar organisations to W.O.C wanting to bring peace between humans and Zoanthropes. He'd promised to get back in time for the get together.

"Hi guys," he greeted. "So, what's happening?"

"Oh, you know..." Alice said, jumped up, quickly diverting the subject. "Oh, Kenji, we need you to do us a favour." She hooked his arm, guiding him towards the stairs.

"Um, sure, I guess, what is it?" He asked, uncertain to what he was getting himself into.

"Follow me!" Alice and the confused young man disappeared sight.

"Good luck to the boy," Shina said. "Hope she doesn't kill him."

"Uriko and Kenji are… close," Gado pointed out. They all knew there was something secretly going on between the two. "I think she'll be more willing to open up to him."

"Hey, Yugo is a friend too, and look what happened to him!" Shina said, smirking. She had to admit it had looked pretty funny that the young girl had socked a professional boxer with a world class punch.

"Not the kind of friend that Kenji is," Gado alluded.

"I highly doubt Uriko will do a repeat performance," Long interjected.

"Oh no," Jenny purred. "She'd definitely not, not in the case of a special friend. Our young Kenji will have her talking soon enough."

* * *

Alice and Kenji proceeded along the upper landing.

"Uriko's been acting weird. We can't get her to open up at all," Alice explained to him. Yugo reappeared from the bathroom, greeting the pair and half smirking in greeting of his younger brother through a fresh wad of tissues.

"Hey little bro, welcome back," he said.

Kenji blinked. "Yugo, what happened to your nose?"

"As I said, Uriko's been acting weird," Alice said.

Kenji was gob-smacked. "She punched him?"

"And damn, what a punch," Yugo groaned. "Never would've expected it from her."

"Well, I'll see what I can do," Kenji said, wary now as they came to her door.

"We'll leave him to it," Alice whispered to Yugo, tugging his arm. "We'll go properly see to your nose."

"Okay, nurse! You want to me to take my clothes off for this examination?" He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. "Men..." And they disappeared into the bathroom.

Kenji knocked on Uriko's door. "'Riko?"

The half-beast stopped sobbing and looked up from her pillow. She was surprised and not unhappy to hear that familiar voice, but she still felt terrible. "Not now, Kenji, I just want to be alone."

"Come on, 'Riko, let's talk," he urged softly. "There's something bothering you and you've got everyone worried. Come on, open the door. You can tell just me alone for now if it suits you."

She hesitated then shoved her face back into her pillow. "No… just… go away…"

"Please?"

There was no response, only quiet. Kenji sighed, not wanting to give up. He wasn't going to let a locked door stop him. He needed to get through it without kicking it in…

… And suddenly, he had an idea, hoping she wouldn't be too mad.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Uriko sat up, leaning back against the wall, tucking her knees up to her chest. She was trying to clear her head, but she just felt so angry with herself.

 _Why can't anything go right for me?_

There was a sudden bright flash before her bed, and she jumped. A small log bobbed there for a second, though was quickly replaced by a figure; Kenji to be exact.

He stepped back. "Please, don't hit me. I'm sorry for invading your room like this but… well; I just want to find out what's wrong."

"They sent you up here to find out," she said, folding her arms stubbornly.

He ran a hand over his dark tresses, his face softening. "I'm not doing this just because your sister asked me too. I care about you 'Riko, and if something's upsetting you, I'd like to know."

"It's… nothing," she said, cheek resting atop her knees.

He blanched at that. "Nothing? How can it be nothing when you punch my brother in the face?"

She flinched at the rather snappy tone. She couldn't bear to look at him. "I'm sorry," she said weakly.

He sighed and went to sit on the bed next to her. "It's okay, he'd not mad, and neither am I. We just want to know why?"

She sat back properly, legs straightening out, and she met his wondering gaze, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. "This will sound pathetic, but… I had a bad day…"

"A bad day? How so?" He pushed on.

"Just things happening," she said, looking down solemnly. "The alarm clock didn't go off, I was late for school, failed a pop quiz, and then got a detention for losing my homework. On top of that I ended up splattered by food, got in a fight with my best friend…" She took a deep breath. "… And then to end the day, just when I'm feeling really bad, Yugo is ripping on me and nobody is stopping him, in fact, they all had at least one poke… okay, maybe not Master Long, but you know, he didn't tell them to leave me alone. I just felt I was being singled out. It all just started to build up..." Her fists tightened as she fought to keep her voice composed. "And … I just… burst."

"And you hit Yugo," Kenji finished.

"It was one last comment; and just everything, all the pain and misery of the day just fell on me and I had to lash out! I'm just so fed up!" She let out a short scream. "I hate my life."

"You just feel like that now," Kenji assured her. "One bad day is nothing."

"I know, I know! And hitting Yugo wasn't right, and I'm sorry for it, but, I just couldn't help it, I'm just burning up inside! I just want to lash out, get all this frustration out of me before I just explode!" She said, the aggravation making her face bright red.

"Then… hit me, if it makes everything better," Kenji said, watching a confused look take over her face. "I know you want to let this anger out on someone. I'll take it and I'll understand."

She looked at him, stunned to silence, fists clenching and unclenching. Her cheeks burned, her heart raced, all her pent up anger just streaming through her. She was bursting at the seams. And there he was, sat there, offering to be a punching bag.

She gritted her teeth, eyes narrowed, body tense and he waited, expecting her to take him up on his offer.

And then she leapt at him, and he waited to be punched, waited in that split second for pain… but instead…

… She pinned him to the bed and pressed her lips firmly to his. It was a big surprise indeed.

Her legs locked his down, keeping him set there as her mouth bruised against his, ravishing him with some great need. Kenji couldn't believe it, but to be honest, he'd not wanted her to punch him in the first place, but this… it made him speechless... besides the fact his mouth was currently occupied by Uriko's.

And then, she suddenly stopped. Sitting back, she took a deep breath before blowing it out slowly. He sat up carefully, searching her flushed face for an explanation.

She smirked slightly. "I decided to let out my frustration in another way. I hope you didn't mind?"

Kenji was silent for a moment, staring at her. Uriko started to worry, fidgeting uneasily under his gaze. She wanted to know what he was thinking, whether or not he'd like that she'd been so random and forceful.

Almost making her jump, he burst out laughing, completely out of nowhere. Uriko tilted her head inquisitively.

"It's okay, 'Riko," he said, still chuckling. "I definitely preferred being kissed over the idea of being punched in the mouth."

Uriko sighed with relief. "Well, that's okay then." And she chuckled too. _Wow, I'm feeling much better already!_

"So…" He began. "You still feeling a little agitated?"

"Well, maybe just a little bit," she admitted. She suddenly realised what he was leading to, seeing something in his eyes. "Oh, you want another kiss?"

"Well, if you think you need to…"

She practically jumped into his lap. "I guess another kiss would help…"

Uriko carefully wrapped her arms around his neck, her body pressing against his trim frame. Kenji's arms encircled her waist instinctively. He let her make the first move, not wanting to push anything if she didn't want to.

Her nose carefully nudged against his, and she tilted her head a touch so she could reach his lips, the contact almost electrical. His lips were soft and moist, making her fervour-swollen lips tingle with anticipation. There was no hesitation as she pressed them fully to his welcoming softness.

Her mouth working against his, finding he was easily keeping rhythm; the tantalising embrace of his lips made everything inside her head go fuzzy. It was an equal reaction with Kenji, not caring why he was in such a position, only that he would keep her there, just to enjoy the taste of her. A part of him wanted more, he wanted to taste more of her, and his tongue greedily took a golden opportunity to flicker in-between those sweet lips of hers to find the sweet core.

He'd expected her to stop, maybe even slap him. He waited for it, but instead, he jumped a little as her hand came to grip the back of his hair and her own tongue met his with feverishly. He couldn't help but moan, hands toying over her back, fingers rubbing each defined line and contour that shaped her wonderfully nimble frame.

But then…

"Kenji, Uriko?" Alice's voice tentatively called as she knocked at the door.

Both froze, lips locked, tongues static amid their dance. Kenji quickly parted the kiss. Uriko was rather disappointed, but understood.

"We're okay," she shouted towards the door. "Everything's fine! We'll be down in a bit."

"Well, okay," Alice said, and they could hear her retreat towards the stairs, apparently talking to Yugo on the way.

Uriko looked back at Kenji, blushing. "Got a bit carried away there…"

"But you feel, uh, better right?" He asked. She nodded, face bright red. He smiled assuredly. "Good."

The cat-girl rubbed the back of her arm almost shyly. "I guess I should go face the others."

"Right now?" He asked.

"Why not?"

"I was hoping we could just… well, spend a little more time alone," he said, taking her hand carefully. "I've missed you, you know?"

"And sometimes I thought you never cared," she said softly, giving him a loving hug. She sighed happily. "Okay, a little while longer to ourselves."

"Thank you," he whispered.

"So, what do you want to do?" She asked.

His hand rose to gently stroke her cheek. "We want to clear your mind, don't we? Make you all better, right?" He brushed a soft kiss over her quivering lips. "We'll think of something, I'm sure…"


	4. Require Your Company

Roaring Tales – Short Story Collection

By. Indigo Siren

 _ **Disclaimer: Bloody Roar © copyright to Konami (Hudson Soft). The use of characters from the franchise is for non-profit entertainment purposes. The only elements that are owned by the author are the story premises, which should not be copied in any way. All rights reserved.**_

A/N: A Yugo x Alice based story (slightly mature) (And a bit of Kenji x Uriko, too!)

Require Your Company

Yugo Ogami, leader of the W.O.C (World of Co-Existence) and revered boxing champion was enjoying his favourite past-time…

… Being a big old lazy sack of beef...

He was tucked up all cosily in his bed, actually enjoying the time he'd got spare. Usually, he wouldn't have the time to just lie around, but there was nothing actually going on with work – things were surprisingly all quiet.

Peaceful, just how everything should be; and Yugo had decided he deserved to be lazy for once in a while. Though, he thought it would have been better if his bed partner had actually been there to cuddle up to.

But alas, Alice Nonomura's work was never done. Up practically at the crack of dawn, she was off doing her nursing duties; a duty she enjoyed very much, besides the terrible hours that came with the job.

Her boyfriend questioned why she would want to continue on part time as a nurse when she was committed greatly to work in the W.O.C?

Her answer: "I can't go giving up my dream! I wouldn't be me if I wasn't a nurse!"

Yugo had given up his life as a professional boxer to focus working in the W.O.C. Though, he never lost the passion to still go down to the gym once in a while and practice in the training ring with a few old friends. Alice however had tried giving up her career, but it made her unhappy, so as quickly as she could, she snapped up a part time job, becoming an out-nurse with house calls on her rota.

The poor Rabbit Zoanthrope was worked off her feet, and thus also put a damper on a lot of plans with their relationship.

He kind of felt guilty for actually laying there while his lover was off working her butt off and actually decided (with much inner reluctance) to kick the covers back and clamber out of bed. He managed to drag himself to the shower for a refreshing wake up spray. However, it turned into more of a comedy caper as he noticed too little too late that the gauge was turned right down to cold. He howled and cursed as he fought back against the faucet, tripping over in his battle to set the correct temperature. He placed an annoyed head against the tiles, glad to have survived a near heart attack as he untangled himself from the shower curtain.

The drama over and the shower off, Yugo put on his boxers, a pair of baggy black shorts and an old vest just to slum around the house in and went in search of breakfast.

He slid his way down the banister, as if he were 14 and not 24. Executing a perfect landing, he padded into the kitchen, exclaiming at how spotless it was. He had to smile. His little bunny was a neat freak. Well, he did usually trash the place when on a snack scavenge. Though it looked like today he wouldn't have to look far. Everything had been set up ahead of time.

A bowl and spoon were placed neatly on the side with a box of his favourite cereal. The only task was to get the milk, a task that didn't require the total destruction of the kitchen, unless someone had finished off the last bottle and then he'd have reason to turn the place to rubble. Luckily, there was half bottle of milk sitting on the door of the fridge. The kitchen would live to fight another day.

As he was crunching away on his cereal, he noticed a note pinned to the note board. Taking his breakfast with him, he went to investigate. It was from Alice to him, reading: 'Won't be back till later. Put some steaks out to defrost for your dinner. Love you.' He smirked. Good old Alice.

Still, she was out there slaving away in her dream job atop working to keep the place from falling under. Yugo felt bad.

 _She works so damn hard. I just don't know how to make it up to her..._ He sighed as he finished his cereal, dumping the bowl in the sink. _Maybe Kenji can give me some useful advice!_

Kenji was definitely the smarter of the two, even though he was nine years younger. He definitely seemed to be more 'with it' when it came to romance and all the sub-categories. Yugo felt like a complete dope, but one problem solved was more time for him to actually think less.

He ambled back upstairs, turning towards his brother's bedroom, opposite from his own down the hall. Kenji was in, even after coming in during the early hours of the morning after a party. Hell, Yugo didn't care if he disturbed him; it was past ten and if he was up, so should Kenji.

He knocked quite loud on the door. "You awake?" He called through, leaning back on the doorframe.

There were a few grumbles, shuffling and a curse followed by what sounded like the lamp smashing on the floor. Yugo raised a brow as he could hear his brother making his way towards the door. Kenji's face appeared through a small crack of the door, half-heartedly wrapped up in his dressing gown, indicating lack of sleep attire.

"Morning, sunshine," Yugo joked, staring at the jostled teenager, flicking at his dark bangs.

Kenji grumbled something incoherent, leaning against the door, covering up a yawn.

"Sorry," Yugo apologised. "You've probably had only a few hours… I shouldn't have disturbed you."

Looking up with tired eyes, the younger boy yawned and spoke. "Is there something wrong?"

"No... Well, sort of," he said, rubbing a hand behind his head. "Look, can we talk?"

"Umm, do you mean now?" Kenji asked, uneasily.

"I was hoping so. Can I come in?"

"I'm uh, well, not in a dressed state," Kenji indicated, speaking rather quickly. "Maybe shortly…"

"Aww, come on!" Yugo ruffled the boy's hair. "You haven't got anything I haven't seen." He nudged the door a little, pressing on Kenji's nervousness. Yugo found this curious indeed, having the door fought to be kept on a gap. Though, he soon realised why his brother didn't want him coming in when he spied what was on the floor from his vantage point.

"Kenji?"

"Y-yes?"

"What's Uriko doing here?"

"…" Kenji froze, trying to feign innocence, but he already knew he was busted. How could he fool Yugo? Besides his great sense of smell, it was an obvious give away by the mess of clothes on the floor. And it was obvious the bra wasn't Kenji's. The ninja inwardly cursed, noticing it was Uriko's favourite 'NiKU HOUSE' jacket that was somewhat in Yugo's sights.

Yugo grinned and couldn't help but push to peek around the door. "Morning, Uriko. Didn't realise Kenji had sneaked you in here this morning. Hope your sister didn't realise you were all cosy up here?"

The girl in question lowered the covers from which she was hiding behind to show a face glowing with embarrassment. Grinning, she tried to hide her red cheeks. She kept the covers held close to her form, a hand sneaking up to run over her tousled shoulder length hair.

"Morning," she said softly.

"Lucky dog," Yugo said, punching Kenji's shoulder lightly.

The mole Zoanthrope blushed madly, though quickly cleared his throat, ignoring his brother's grinning face. "If you give us chance, to get washed and dressed, we can talk properly."

"Understood," Yugo said, his face holding a teasing expression that caused Kenji to frown. "I'll be in the lounge."

The elder Ogami wandered off downstairs, leaving the two lovebirds in the bedroom with their heads spinning, not only from the sugar crazed party the night before, but their own little 'after party'.

"Holy smokes, I thought he'd blow a fuse!" Uriko said, flopping back with a sigh of relief.

"Who? Yugo? No, he's okay. He understands and trusts me. Though, I may be blackmailed to keep this quiet." He wandered back to sit on the bed next to his girlfriend.

Her light coloured eyes met his. "I hope he keeps quiet. Boy, if Alice and my mother find out, it'll be kitten stew for all!"

"Don't worry, it'll be okay," he said, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the lips.

Uriko pouted. "Do we have to get up?"

"Well, I don't want to leave my brother waiting too long," he said, a little guilty.

"Five more minutes?" She leaned up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Pretty please?"

He had to smile. No way could he ignore Uriko's famous pout; that pout got her everywhere with him. "Alright, five minutes."

She grinned, grabbing and pulling him down to her. Kenji shrugged out of his gown and tossed it aside as he struggled back under the covers with her as the cat girl was already giving him her full attention.

* * *

It was half an hour later before the two teens appeared downstairs. A shared shower had saved much time, though they would have been faster if only Uriko hadn't insisted in doing naughty things with the soap.

In the lounge, Yugo was laid out in front of the TV, practically sunk into the couch as he watched cartoons, laughing at the idiocy that ensued. When the two youths appeared in the lounge, he instantly sat up, making room for them. The wolf Zoanthrope laughed at Uriko dressed in a pair of Kenji's shorts and T-shirt, quite baggy on her with her much smaller frame. In response, she stuck her tongue out. Opposite to his girlfriend, Kenji was decked out in a long sleeved shirt and a pair of baggy sports pants.

"So, you wanted to talk?" He asked Yugo, hopping onto the couch next to him.

"I can always go get some breakfast for us if you guys want to talk alone?" Uriko suggested.

"No, it's okay," Yugo told her. "Stay too. I could use both of your advice." The pair looked at each other and back to the wolf Zoanthrope inquisitively. "It's about Alice."

"About Sis? What's up?" Uriko asked with an edge of concern.

"Well, it's nothing really. There are no real problems. Well, just the fact she's run off her feet with work all the time and we never get proper time to spend together." Yugo sighed. "I don't want the relationship to fall about because of it. I want to do something to treat her, just the two of us, but it's making time…"

"Well, its Saturday tomorrow," Kenji reminded him. "She's not out on call tomorrow."

"Yeah, but I've got W.O.C business and since it's that dinner thing tomorrow with those clients…"

"Don't go," Uriko piped up, surprising him. "Mr. Gado or someone can cover, can't they?"

Yugo looked hesitant. "I rely on everyone too much…"

"That's crap, Yugo," Kenji said sharply. Both Uriko and Yugo were taken aback by his sudden use of foul language. He was always so controlled and rarely if ever swore. "You work damn hard too. It's US who rely on YOU too much. I'll take over the meeting. You know I'm better at with dealing with headstrong clients anyway. You and Alice don't need to be there. It'll be covered."

"Well, I guess, but what would we do?"

"That's up to your imagination. Think of something to surprise her!" Uriko said, grinning. "Something REALLY romantic! I mean, nobody will be here to disturb you…"

Yugo knew what the young girl meant; still it was strange it was being hinted at by her of all people, though after today, why should he be surprised after catching her in the aftermath of a 'secret' romp. He laughed suddenly, nodding with much agreement to her suggestion.

"Yeah, nobody would be here. Perfect, I have a plan. It involves keeping everyone away from the house at all costs. I don't want anyone messing up the mood." He rubbed his hands together.

"Kenji can crash at my house," Uriko said, smiling from ear to ear. "That should leave you two alone."

"I don't mind that," Kenji agreed, feeling Uriko snuggle up to his back. "And with the meal organised, you should have your Saturday completely open."

"Just don't tell Alice," Yugo said. "Not a word. It's a surprise, okay?"

"Scouts honour!" Uriko said saluting.

"Great!" He leaned back.

 _Hope you're ready for a wild night my little rabbit..._

* * *

Saturday had a strange air about it. Alice was surprised that when she rose that morning at nine, Yugo was already gone and Uriko was suddenly calling her up, organising a trip to the mall for some much needed sisterly shopping time, though with the added attendance of Jenny Burtory and Shina.

Not suspecting what might be going on behind her back, she went with the group to the mall, a trip that lasted most of the day as they hopped from shop to shop. Alice had her sights set on dresses that day, as she thought of the W.O.C dinner that night. Shina wasn't too thrilled to be going from clothes shop to clothes shop, though Jenny's banter and great compromise left her ogling the electronics in a hi-fi shop.

Alice had noticed Uriko acting strange when she was discussing dresses.

"Don't buy something too expensive," she'd said. "You'll just not wear it again."

 _Strange, she's not usually cash conscious,_ she thought, though did agree on not getting anything too flash. A nice simple blue dress that said class would do the trick, and at a nice affordable price, too. Jenny was the one burning the bills on a dress of her own - a little red number that had a neckline so low, it almost slit the outfit in two. Well, she was playing special guest at the dinner while hanging onto Alan Gado's arm and she wasn't going in anything less that didn't show off her perfect model body.

After hanging out at a café in the food court for almost two hours, they decided to head back home.

Jenny dropped Alice off outside her and Yugo's abode, smiling ever so sweetly, with no intention to give away the little secret Uriko had informed her of early that morning. Well, maybe she was inclined to just a little bit. "Well, I hope tonight is fun for you."

"Hope so for all of us. And I hope this dress is alright." Alice sighed happily, looking at her array of shopping bags.

Jenny's smile deepened. "The dress never makes the woman... But it helps. I REALLY shouldn't worry about it."

Uriko covered up a giggle, giving Alice a big smile. "See you later, sis."

"Yeah, let's vamoose!" Shina said, slamming her hand on the headrest in front. "I want to get home before I turn forty."

"Mind the leather," Jenny scolded. "Or you're walking home."

"Just drive, woman," she snapped in response.

"Bye, guys," Alice called after them as they drove away. Shaking her head, she walked up the path, humming to herself. She juggled the array of bags to undo her purse and retrieve her set of keys, letting herself in to a strangely quiet abode.

 _I wonder if Yugo is here?_ She wondered, looking around the dim surroundings. She gave a shrug, padding into the lounge. A nice orange glow filled the room from the late afternoon sun and she sunk down into the couch, letting her bags fall about her while she took a moment to relax.

She heard padding feet suddenly come from the hallway and turned around to see her lover in the flesh. She'd missed him all of the day.

"Hi, Ally," he greeted casually.

"Where did you run off to this morning? I'm usually the early riser of this relationship?"

He just grinned. "Business and a few odd jobs I should have done in the week."

"Ah, I see," she said, not pressing, though his grin was somewhat suspicious looking.

"So, where have you been then?" He inclined, leaning on the back of the couch.

She shifted round and gestured the bags. "Shopping! And you should see the dress I brought for the dinner tonight…" She reached for the intended bag, until…

"About that," Yugo said sheepishly. "We're not going."

Alice froze, glancing at him confused. "Huh? What?"

"Change of plans," he said softly. "Everything is sorted. Kenji and Gado are dealing with it."

"But, that seems a little rude, and I did buy a new dress after all…" She was shocked by this sudden announcement, though something told her this change of plans was leading to something else.

"It was Kenji's suggestion and it's all fine." He patted her head, his usual gesture to let her know not to worry. "Besides, the dress…" The look he gave her made her stomach turn over butterflies. "… You can still wear it for me."

"Yugo, what are you up to?" She questioned, watching his grin widen.

"You just get dressed. Oh, and I mean in the downstairs bathroom. The upstairs is barred for the time being. That is… until I require your company."

"Yugo?"

He winked at her. "I'll call you when everything is ready." And he disappeared up the stairs, with the rabbit Zoanthrope left bewildered. She looked down at her bag with her dress in and sighed with a shrug, reaching down to pluck it out.

 _I wonder..._ She thought, casting an eye towards the stairs. _What has he got planned?_

Half an hour later and Alice was donned in her dress. All she had left to do was put a brush through her medium length hair. The formerly dyed 'brunette' had been inclined to go back to her original colour after feeling she outlived the simple brown and was now with her violet tresses once more. She smiled satisfied with her neatly groomed hair. She lightly applied some make up, though suddenly felt foolish, as she was probably only going upstairs, but it just added to the outfit.

 _Oh well, got to look my best after all!_ She thought, cheeks flushing would come of this evening?

She slipped on her heels, just to complete the outfit and went to the bottom of the stairs. Her ears pricked up for any sound to give away his surprise. There was nothing but the low buzz of the air-conditioning.

"Yugo! I'm ready!" She called up, a little impatient. Curiosity had consumed her thoroughly. "Can I come up?"

"Hold on… just a second…" Came a faint response.

A few minutes passed, leaving Alice to tap her foot while she waited. Finally, her beau's voice called out to her. "Okay, come on up!"

 _Finally!_ And she carefully strode up the stairs, peering up with a puzzled expression. Everything on the landing was darkened, all the curtains closed. It made the house feel all spooky in her opinion, but it was somehow part of Yugo's little scheme and she wasn't going to complain. She just couldn't wait to see what he'd done.

She came to stand outside their bedroom door, knowing this is where his voice had been heard. Her insides tingled with anticipation, suddenly making her too nervous to open the door. Biting it back, she turned the handle and stepped into their room.

For an instant, it had been like stepping away from the world she knew into an illusion that had tried to call itself their bedroom. She was gob-smacked, frozen with her hand latched to the door.

The usually bright room was dimmed, the dark drapes pulled across, helping to bring out the soft glow of the candles set around the room. Small flames were everywhere she looked. And all the dressers and cupboards were draped with satin cloth, adorned with beautiful patterns that drew her admiring eyes. But her gaze was quickly drawn to the floor, completely littered with pillows. Alice was glad she'd looked down before stepping in, or she might have tripped over.

And in the middle of it all, laid on the bed, was Yugo. He was dressed in the shirt and trousers he was supposed to wear for the dinner. Though, they were in disarray. The shirt had only a few buttons done up, leaving his well-toned chest exposed. The zip on the top of his trousers was slightly undone, letting his silky boxers peek out over the top. Around him were plates of food. To be exact, it was extravagant looking snack food. He was damn glad Nagi and Long had been free that day, better at dealing with cuisine then him.

He grinned, not moving from his posed position. Seeing she was stood there in stunned silence, he reached a hand out to her.

"Welcome to our own private dinner party," he murmured gently.

Her face lit up, eyes glittering with pre-born tears. "All this… for me?"

"There is nobody else but you who deserved this. Now come, join me."

She was completely overwhelmed by the romantic setting Yugo had prepared for them. Gladly she kicked off her heels and stepped across the mass of cushions before carefully joining him on the bed, weaving through the plates laid out to fall into his open armed embrace.

"You didn't have to," she whispered, snuggling against his warm body.

"I wanted to show you how much I care about you, so you won't ever forget." His husky voice tickled her ear as he pressed his lips there to kiss the lobe. "And you deserve the pampering for all the work you do. It's tiring you out so much. I just wanted to spend some alone time with you."

A guilty look crossed her face. "I guess I shouldn't work so much. I didn't think about you at all in the whole arrangement; only about my own dreams."

He gently drew a finger across her cheek, guiding her to look into his eyes. "I'd never ask you to give up your dreams. I'll stand by you, whatever you do."

She smiled. "I can compromise to cut down my hours in nursing. They should understand with already having a big position in the W.O.C. That way, I'd have more free time to do what I want… and be with you."

"You do what you want," he said. "I won't pressure you."

Looking about the bed, she couldn't help but shed a grateful tear. "Thank you for this. I appreciate the effort you went to set this up, AND keep it a secret from me."

"Yeah, I'm glad nobody said anything," Yugo said, laughing sheepishly. "And I definitely needed a lot of support to set this up. And about the food, thank Nagi and Long, well, Nagi mostly for having time to help me put the food together."

"Didn't think she'd be one for cooking?"

Yugo laughed. "She watches too much daytime television. All those cooking shows have made an impact."

Alice reached out for the plate that had been just behind her. "Oh! Mini sausages!" She chuckled, taking one off the plate, delightedly popping it into her mouth.

"Heh! Now those are what I could easily deal with!" He admitted, getting all cosy against her back.

Giggling, she picked another from the plate, wiggling it before his eyes. His hungry orbs followed the little snack food. His attempt to try and take it from her was in vain, as she snatched it away from his mouth.

She grinned. "Are you going to beg for it?"

"Ally, you tease…"

Sitting back from him, she leaned on one arm, the other out in front, waving the sausage before him like a 'doggy treat'. He gave an authentic bark and crawled in front of her on all fours, eyeing the food held out before him. He followed it, leaning in as she brought it close to her face.

"Are you going to take it?" She asked seductively.

A carnal growl rumbled in his throat, and he grinned, getting up close to her, trying to make a fast grab with the little sausage, but to no avail. She stuck it in her own mouth. Giggling, she watched his eyes feign upset, backed up with a whine.

Alice couldn't help but smile, feeling her face flush at their position. He was pressed right up against her, faces with little breathing space between them. But she liked this compromising position she'd caused. She was laid back enticingly on the bed.

She didn't even get chance to chew the sausage, as he poked her sighs and she gasped slightly, giving him chance to capture her mouth with his own. His tongue whipped in to invade her mouth, not only stirring a dance with her own tongue, but also fighting for the sausage. Alice was giggling the whole while, though also trying not to moan and choke at the same time.

When they parted for air, Yugo whooped with triumph, having succeeded in retrieving his 'treat' from her mouth.

He chewed the little morsel never once letting his eyes leave hers. "Tasty…" He murmured, swallowing with satisfaction.

Her eyes cast a glance around her, all the little plates of food looking so appetising. "It all looks so wonderful. But what should I have next?"

Yugo was crawling back over her. "I know what I want a taste of…"

She caught that lusty look in his eyes. "Oh, but this lovely food will go to waste!"

"There's time for it later," he assured, his face slowly lowering into the crook of her neck, kissing the soft, olive skin.

"M-my dress..." She stammered, her face turning as red as a cherry. "I just put it on!"

His hands ran over the fine cotton material, slowly easing it up over her frame. "You don't need this at our dinner party. You'll look even more ravishing without it on."

She quivered, not able to form an answer. There was no resistance as she let him undress her. She rose her laid out position so that the item of clothing could easily slip up and over her head, leaving her clad only in a very tantalising set of dark, lacy lingerie. And in minutes, even that too had found its way onto the cushion-covered floor.

Alice was blushing madly, the red seeming to flow down her bare form. Her hands practically had a mind of their own as they tugged at his shirt insistently.

"Off." Her voice eagerly demanded, needing for him to be bare in all his gorgeous tanned glory.

He chuckled. Batting away her feisty fingers, he slowly undid the last few buttons of his shirt himself. He could see the frustration in her face with him purposely taking his time.

 _HAH! Now who was being the tease?_

Buttons undone, he slid the shirt off and tossed it away to join her garments. He would have taken his time with the trousers too, if Alice had not surprised him and pushed him back, practically tearing the bottoms off his body, taking the boxers with them.

He laughed, watching her hide her cherry face against his chest. "Never knew you could be so ravenous."

She tittered with embarrassment. "It's been a while… you can understand…"

"Yeah, with so much work on… Damn, Ally, I want you!"

She squeaked as he flipped their positions so he was once more on top. The bed was jostled wildly, nearly sending the plates scattering, but they were lucky; not as if the couple really cared though, absorbed solely in one and other.

Alice kept herself nestled tight up against the warmth of his body. The mere touch sent an indescribable sensation around her body, especially to one 'private' area. She stared up amorously into his eyes, consumed with a deep passion.

She traced his scars with a tender finger, never once taking her eyes away from his. "All this time apart... Can we make up for lost time?"

"This night is for us, Ally," his hoarse voice resounded in a soft, warm breath, which tickled almost playfully against her face.

"All about us…" With nothing more to say, she drew him into a kiss, letting her passion speak for her now.

And as the sun set across the horizon, the stars peeking out from the darkness, their impassioned cries of pleasure lifted into the night, though only to be heard by the wildlife that existed in the night hours.

As both lovers reached their climax, a peace set in, knowing that nothing could break apart such a powerful union such as theirs.

* * *

"Hello!" Uriko's cheery voice broke through the house, awakening the lovers from their blissful rest. A, somewhat, unwelcomed wakeup call.

Yugo groaned, having not wanted anything to disturb this peaceful moment with his lover. But of course, everything had to follow its natural course once again. But he was at least going to cherish these last few moments while he could. He murmured as he tucked his face into two, warm bountiful cushions.

 _Mmm... Breasts..._

"I guess we should get up." Alice's soft voice brought his face up slightly so his eyes could meet hers. They were slightly glassy from just waking up, but still held that brightness that only she could display.

"But I'm happy where I am." His face burrowed again into the comfort of her cleavage.

She laughed. "We can't be rude now, can we? And besides, my two 'friends' can always give you cuddles later."

He sighed, and sat up in defeat. "Okay, I guess we can get up now." Looking around the room, he whistled. "Boy, what a mess."

Getting around to it, they did find time to snack on most of the food that had been made. It fitted in quite well with their one on one session. Yugo had to admit being fed by an alluring naked beauty was like being in his own version of Eden.

"WE'LL BE DOWN IN A BIT!" Alice shouted out for Uriko to hear. After receiving a response, she turned to Yugo. "Time for a shower."

"Yup, though, I hope this time it's not set on cold. Don't want to be tearing down the curtain rail if I can help it!"

* * *

After the pair had showered, they donned dressing gowns and went downstairs. Kenji and Uriko were cuddled up on the couch, watching an anime show; one with plenty of bulbous eyes and strange furry creatures. Uriko was giggling away madly at the antics, distracted enough to not notice Yugo and Alice join them. However, Kenji did.

"Morning, you sleep well?" He asked with a playful smile.

Yugo gave him the thumbs up. "Slept like a log, though not before last night's fun."

"Thank you for covering for us at the dinner," Alice said to the pair.

"It was nothing," the mole Zoanthrope brushed off. "Nobody seemed to mind that much. And Gado took good care of your clients."

"You should have seen Jenny practically fall out of her dress!" Uriko said, laughing in fits. "Serves her right for trying to test how much cleavage she could leave out in the open."

"We knew the day would come where her clothes would turn on her. It was like watching two planets fall out of orbit."

"Kenji!" Alice exclaimed. "You're setting a bad example for my sister!"

"Hey! I get this 'Riko!" Kenji said in his defence.

The cat-girl swatted him. "Yeah, go on, blame me!"

"You guys had breakfast?" Yugo's stomach rumbled at his own mentioning of breakfast. After last night's pigging out, he was surprised to still be hungry.

"Some cereal," Uriko said. "But, if you're cooking…"

Alice headed towards the kitchen. "How about I do us some omelettes? With salmon or bacon, maybe?"

Uriko's face lit up. "REALLY?! Yeah, I'd love some!"

Kenji shook his head at her, before turning to the elder Nonomura. "Sure, why not. I'll have some too."

"And me three! You couldn't miss out me!" Yugo gave her a wolfish grin, clinging to her back.

"Of course not, sweetheart!" Alice lightly shoved at him. "Okay, breakfast for all! Sit tight!" She ambled towards the kitchen, dragging Yugo with her, as he hadn't let go. When they were out of earshot of the youths, she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I really want to thank you for last night. It meant a lot to me."

"I'm glad." The wolf Zoanthrope kissed her temple gently. "You're worth making a fuss over."

She blushed wildly. "Oh, Yugo..."

"Now, how about that breakfast," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She pushed him off, putting her hands on her hips in a mock serious manor. "Oh, you! Buttering me up like that!" She just had to laugh at his goofy expression in response. "I guess it's true what they say. The REAL way to a man's heart is through his stomach…"


	5. Zephyr of Silver

Roaring Tales – Short Story Collection

By. Indigo Siren

 _ **Disclaimer: Bloody Roar © copyright to Konami (Hudson Soft). The use of characters from the franchise is for non-profit entertainment purposes. The only elements that are owned by the author are the story premises, which should not be copied in any way. All rights reserved.**_

A/N: And lastly, and OOC Uranus x Xion story. A gift I did for a fan of the pairing many years previous.

Zephyr of Silver

Another night, another dilemma…

Uranus sighed as she stood in front of her answering machine. Four messages; all from him.

Call me. Let's do lunch. I'll come over later. Why aren't you answering your phone?

"Can't he take a hint…? I'm too busy to be bothered about love." She deleted the messages on her answering machine and pulled the phone plug out the wall.

Many a girl would have been flattered for such attention from someone as handsome as Xion, but Uranus, always the odd one, wanted nothing to do with him. Maybe it was the fact that when she'd first been created, back in a lab, there was no intention for her to start harbouring feelings or go out on dates. She was supposed to be a killing machine, but the problem was that she'd developed a mind of her own.

Maybe now she could consider a love life, having her own will to do anything she wanted, but she was stubborn as well as conflicted. Conflicted in the sense that her personality was a cold one, and there never seemed to be enough fire to thaw her out from the inside.

She slumped down sideways onto her puffy sea green couch, dumping her handbag over the arm without much consideration. The floor would be a suiting place for it for now.

So, this was her life. Answering phones for a living and avoiding being romanced by the local Swedish guy. Oh, and watching old re-runs of 'Days of Our Lives' which were badly dubbed over in Japanese.

"Life is thrilling…" She mumbled sarcastically, looking around at her sparsely furnished apartment. Though, in consideration of other options, I.E. being locked in a tube, it didn't seem all so bad. "Well… At least it's my life to run."

She didn't realise how tiring a job could be. It took at least three tries to get upright from the couch.

Dinner tonight would consist of tempura donburi. She'd specifically brought in the ingredients the night before so she could have that. Shopping was never one of her high priority tasks, so most of the time she barely had any food in. She was more inclined to eat out or order in. Let someone else worry over the stove.

Peering out towards the balcony, the weather didn't look too promising, so it was better she ate in tonight anyway.

And for TV entertainment? It was a crazy sports night for some odd reason, and some old war movies later. Not that enthralling to her.

 _I suppose I could read a book or..._ All thoughts were reduced to nought when a knocking came to her door. She knew who it was before even answering it. "Or I could make my own melodrama," she mumbled sardonically, as she went to open the door to none other than the Unborn himself.

Xion flicked his phone closed and offered her one of his smiles that seemed to only really work on one side of his face. It was his way of smiling, and it was supposed to be friendly, no matter how cocky he looked.

"Your phone's not working," he said, stashing his own into the pocket of his red trench coat.

"I pulled it out the wall," she stated nonchalantly.

He just nodded in a sort of understanding way, though it was obvious he didn't. "Well… okay. I did mention on your answering machine that I was coming over."

"Why?" Blunt and almost brutal, the tired woman felt like closing the door right then.

"And why not? I wanted to see you." His smile grew, and she felt like sinking into the cracks in the floorboards with agitation.

"Why did I ever give you my number? Was I that desperate for company?" She muttered, though it was loud enough for him to hear, though his expression never faltered. She sighed. "Listen carefully to the words that come out my mouth." She inhaled carefully, before… "GO AWAY!" And the door slammed, hard enough to make the hinges groan with the horror of the action. Uranus put her back to it and let out a long sigh.

"Why do you always have to act like this? Aren't you ever going to let anyone close to you?" She heard him say through the door.

"No! And especially not you! I don't need anyone… EVER!" She stepped away from the door, retreating towards the lounge.

She'd been through enough in her life to warrant her own solitude. Love was a waste of her precious time. It seemed only he, of all the men that had glanced in her direction, didn't understand her feelings.

"You're lying."

She spun around and stormed back towards the door. Nobody called her a liar…

She flung the door open. "GET LO-eh?" There was nobody there to scream at.

At first, she was baffled to say the least, though her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She kept the door close to her back and she peered out, looking left then right down the corridor. There was nobody in sight. And for some strange reason, she was inclined to look up at the ceiling. Nope, not there either.

 _What? Did you expect him to be there, hanging with suction cups? You've been watching too many movies..._

She went back inside her apartment. There was a nice blanket of relief over her now. Maybe she could have some peace now he'd finally decided to stop…

She almost fell over. There he was, outside on the balcony, leaning on the French doors.

"What the hell!" Her face reddened tremendously. "How'd you get out there so damn fast?"

"It's called being amazing," he said. She almost wanted to bang her head against a wall.

She thanked the heavens she had locked the balcony doors. There was at least a good barrier between them. Stomping up to the glass, she stabbed her finger against it, right in front of him.

"You don't get it! I want to be alone! Just get lost before I kick your ass back to Sweden!"

Xion couldn't keep the smile off his face. She looked incredibly flustered as she yelled at him. It was highly amusing. But besides, he just couldn't keep his eyes of her. The way her cheeks puffed out, and the fullness of her pouting lips... She really was a beauty to admire.

"STOP STARING AT ME YOU PERVERT!" He laughed aloud and it almost looked like she would come out to him, but she stopped herself by a marginal inch. It seemed a pity really…

… And then, it started to rain. Softly at first, but then it began to come down harder, just as the wind picked up. That put a smile on her face, a somewhat evil one at that.

"HAH! At least the weather is on my side! You should get on home before you get drenched."

"No, I'm just going to stay right here. Waiting for you." He went to lean back against the railing, watching her with no concern to the rain pouring down on top of him.

She felt some surprise creep up into face, but shook it off and huffed. "Fine, see if I care!" And she gripped the large blue spirally patterned curtains and closed them, blocking him from view.

If she didn't see him, it didn't matter.

 _What a stupid moron. He'll make himself sick... But that's his own problem! See if I care!_

She marched off toward the kitchen, intent on eating instead of focusing on him. She gathered all her ingredients for her intended meal, willing herself to put her mind to cooking it.

But alas, it was failing fast. Her lips scrunched up with annoyance.

 _Damn him! This is his plan! Well, I refuse to play along!_

She went to the chopping board with her prawns and vegetables and started to prepare them. She was happily chopping away at first, but she slowed as her mind was starting to wander back to the balcony and that certain somebody…

Was he serious enough to stay out there? In this weather? Was he really _STILL_ out there?

 _Stop it! Right now!_ She slammed the knife down, clenching her fists atop to the table surface. _You're acting as if you give a damn..._

And there she stood, rigid for minutes on end. She couldn't chop because her mind wandered, and she couldn't move, in case she decided to go see if he was still there.

She couldn't help but cast a glance towards the closed curtains over the balcony door. The curiosity was going to drive her nuts!

One peak wasn't going to hurt her. Was it?

She approached the curtains, and gripped the corner attentively, feeling rather stupid all of a sudden. Like some sort of school girl, spying on the boy next door.

 _This is my home, dammit!_ Relenting, she peaked through the side, keeping the curtain as steady as she could so he wouldn't know she was looking.

Sure enough, there he was, still there getting drenched. Of course, her plan of going unnoticed failed miserably and he smiled at her.

"DAMN IT!" She flung the curtain back into place and went back into the kitchen. She focused on her hunger instead and went back to preparing her meal.

It was half an hour later that the food sat so proudly in the bowl before her, looking so good to eat.

 _I actually amaze myself sometimes,_ she thought with proud self-praise. Her stomach growled in acknowledgement of the food.

She took the bowl to the table and sat down, snapping some clean chopsticks apart, ready to use. Of course, she stopped herself. The past curiosity was there again.

Could he still be out there?

The wind howled loudly and it made her shudder. It must have been cold out there…

 _Uh oh... Do I sense a conscience about to come into play? God damn..._ She rose from her seat and went back towards the balcony door and opened the curtain a quarter.

And there he was, startling her once more, sat there on the railing. He was looking out towards the city, away from her. The wind was whipping through his soaked hair almost playfully. He had some serious resilience to be still out there, especially now the weather was against him. He really did mean what he'd said.

She felt rather guilty now all of a sudden, as much as she hated herself for suddenly embroiling herself in any type of emotion. Just watching him, her heart fluttered without a thought. He was handsome, and out there, soaked to the bone, he glowed more radiant. Her eyes wandered over his pale skin, then began to admire his silvery tresses that the wind was caressing with invisible fingers. Such a picture…

He finally turned to notice her standing at the window. The smile was small, not like before. He appeared much more serene to her now. Her own expression was suddenly lost over him. His light blue eyes were searching her amber ones. They offered her nothing to be angry at, just something more gentle and understanding.

 _Damn him..._ Her hand tossed the curtains and undid the latch so the door could open. The cold was a slap in the face, but she ignored it and the slight spray of rain creeping in.

"GET IN HERE BEFORE YOU DIE, YOU IDIOT!"

He didn't hesitate to go against her command and hopped off his perch and strolled inside on her invitation. She closed and locked the door behind him, sighing.

He'd won this round. But his victory had him dripping all over her carpet.

"Wait here, I'll get a towel." She lost the heart to meet his eyes now. Maybe it was the sudden fluster of emotion that had crept over her. It was unforeseen and scary for someone usually as cold as her.

He stood there patiently waiting as she marched in and out of her small en-suite bathroom, bringing a big navy towel out and dumping it on his head.

"Take your coat off. I won't have my carpet paying the price for your idiocy." The way she said it wasn't really forceful. Strangely, it was very docile.

He complied and undid the straps that kept the coat firmly in place. It didn't slip off quite so easily, as it had decided to stick to him and he was practically peeling it off himself. Once removed, she took it to hang on the shower rail in the bathroom so it could drip into the bath. He was rubbing his hair dry when she came back.

"Can I actually sit down and eat now without having to worry about you?" He peered at her inquisitively through the towel and she turned away before he could notice the blushing and she went to eat her food still waiting for her on the table.

The whole time, he didn't say a word as she ate, he just watched her as he dried himself off.

She didn't particularly like him watching her eat. It made her feel self-conscience. The whole time, she had to keep her eyes focused intently on her meal, rather than on him. She knew her eyes would meet his and she'd sink into an awkwardness she was not used to.

These feelings were all new to her, and she wasn't sure if she was going to enjoy having them.

"Your place is nice," he said, breaking the silence as she took the last bite of her meal. "Pretty cosy."

"Suits me fine," she said plainly as she went to stack her bowl in the sink. She'd wash it later.

Turning to him, she wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but the lecture was caught in her throat as he snorted, stifling a laugh when she faced him. That made her frown. "What?"

"It's …" He motioned his thumb towards his mouth, an indication. But she still didn't get it, shaking her head.

"Eh?"

He sighed, setting the towel on the back of her couch and went to approach her. Uranus was suddenly apprehensive of the distance being closed between them, but didn't do anything to stop him as his approach didn't appear to be hostile.

Xion carefully lifted a finger to her face and carefully drew it against the corner of her mouth. He pulled it back to show her that she had some sauce there. She blushed with embarrassment. Though her cheeks almost set alit with colour as she watched him draw the finger to his lips and press it gently against them, his tongue lapping with one stroke to remove the sauce.

"Nice." That single husky word was enough to draw a shiver up her spine.

 _Oh, he's good..._

In a swift, almost unseen movement, he'd pressed up close to her, forcing her back up against the counter to at least gain a few inches of distance between them. His arms rested around her, boxing her in.

"I never believed a word you said, you know; wanting to be alone. Nobody in their right mind could go on living alone forever." His words were soft, almost warming, though she tried her best to pull back into the cold of herself. There was so much insinuation under those words that a part of her wanted to get away. His eyes wanted her, everything about… he had a yearning that she was afraid of.

She didn't want to need or have anyone want of her. The way to survive was to not let anyone into your heart. But yet, she couldn't help but let herself go, even a little, as his sweet breath tickled against her face.

"You're so damn persistent," she whispered, not able to make the words come out any louder.

His smile was enchanting. "Well, I am for someone as beautiful and wonderful as you."

She scoffed, turning her face from him. "Beautiful… humph. Wonderful, you say… you don't even know me."

"I can see it, even if you don't show it," he said, using two fingers to nudge her chin so her eyes would meet his again. "It's just under your skin, a wonderful woman waiting to come out. A woman I'd like to get to know." Her eyes couldn't stay fixed on his for long. She'd become all uncharacteristically bashful. "And beautiful… you're a glorious cerulean blossom that stands out so gloriously in a field of snow drops."

She looked back up then. "I'm surprised, Xion. I didn't think you of all people would be so… romantic…"

He chuckled in response. "I've never truly known myself. But I'm beginning to. Wouldn't you like to know me?"

She didn't know what to say, without it coming out in some suggestive innuendo. Her hands came up to his chest with the intent to push him backwards, but they stopped, resting weakly there. She'd suddenly lost the heart to do it. His words had turned her to jelly in minutes; that's what she'd been so afraid of it she let him get close. Or maybe she was scared to hear such nice words since nobody had ever said them to her before.

And then, it happened. He moved in to kiss her, and for a second, her head started to go backwards, not really wanting to, but she stopped herself and their lips met.

If only there had been fireworks and violins and the crowds of three nations cheering, then it would have been fairytale like. But no, it was just a simple and sweet kiss, right there in her little kitchen.

And she liked it.

His tongue expertly parted her lips and she was suddenly welcomed to a whole new level in the kissing experience, and her mind was sent swimming. The taste that met her lips was like honey and she was lapping away, trying to get more of that sweet flavour. Xion, on the other hand, was getting a taste of tempura. Next time, he'd ask her to make him some for him. It tasted real good, especially mixed up within a passionate kiss.

She was the one to break the kiss, her eyes blinking back a strange level of innocence. He just smiled the way he usually did, but this time she didn't feel like killing him over it.

"I'm going soft," she said, shaking her head at him.

His hand came up to pet her hair affectionately, running his fingers through the soft blue locks while he had the chance. "I'm glad."

A sigh came and she nudged him back, but she didn't move too far away from him. "I'm pretty new to all this closeness stuff. Maybe a bit nervous to try… but if you're actually being honest to want to get to know me… maybe I can give you the benefit of the doubt." Her hand tugged against his top and pulled him against her in a tentative hug. The relief and happiness set in and his arms wrapped around her.

She jumped back suddenly, pushing him away. "Damn! Your clothes are seriously soaked! Get them off right now!"

His eyes lit up. "As you command!"

"GAH!" She covered her face. "That's not what I meant!"


End file.
